If you have a standard towel rail instead of a heated towel rail in your bathroom, there’s a disturbing and somewhat disgusting truth that you’re probably trying to avoid. That is, your towels are most likely becoming breeding grounds for mould, mildew and other germs.

The issue is that in cold weather, hanging up towels on a standard towel rail often won’t allow them to dry between use. This can be compounded by a lack of air circulation between the towels. Eventually your towels will start smelling, which is a clear indication that they’re getting mouldy.

What can you do about it? It’s pretty simple, buy a heated towel rail for your bathroom (see below). A good quality heated towel rail will ensure that your towels will dry between showers or baths, even in the coldest weather. This will help prevent mould, mildew and other fungi, which love moist environments.

It’s also remembering, too, that mould and mildew aren’t just smelly, they can be bad for your health. So, purchasing a heated towel rail will not only provide extra comfort during colder weather, it will help to protect your family.

Not all heated towel rails are created equal

You may have noticed in the third paragraph that we added the qualifier, good quality heated towel rail. You see, not all heated towel rails are created equal. Some will do an excellent job of drying your towels, warming your towels and keeping your towels free of mould and mildew. Others may struggle, particularly if you have a larger family and several towels that needed to be heated.

Take Eskimo’s Gordon heated towel rail for example. It doesn’t just warm towels, it flash dries them. While the Gordon heated towel warmer has low energy requirements and therefore can be left on all day, lab testing has shown that it dries towels in a third of the time compared to traditional horizontal heated towel rails. What’s more, it will reach operating temperature three times quicker than most heated rails on the market. 

Does this mean the Gordon heated towel rail is three times better than most heated towel rails? You be the judge. Head to the Eskimo website to find out more.

Tips to prevent mould and how to treat mould in towels

Apart from installing a heated towel rail, are there other things you can do to help prevent mould and mildew? And if your towels are already mouldy, is there anything you can do? See these tips, courtesy of Mama’s Laundry Talk.

Help prevent mouldy towels:

• Always hang your towels to dry. Don’t leave wet towels on the floor or bunched up on the sink or towel rail.
• Don’t let wet towels sit in the laundry basket, waiting to be washed.
• Make one day of the week as towel washing day.
• Circulate the air in your bathroom.

How to treat towels with mould:

• Wash towels on the hottest setting possible.
• Wash on the longest, heaviest setting possible.
• Use a capful of detergent up to the top fill-line.
• Don’t use fabric softener, but do use a scoop of oxi-clean in the wash and white vinegar in the rinse.
• Dry in direct sunlight if you can.